Piedroba today announced its 2015 class schedule for the Dredging Fundamentals Course held in collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (The Corps). 2015 will mark the fifth consecutive year where the Corps has opted to partner with Piedroba in order to train those working on federal navigable waterway projects. Luis Prieto-Portar, PhD, PE, Piedroba’s Principal and Chairman will lead the team through classes in Savannah, GA, New Orleans, LA and Jacksonville, FL.The Dredging Fundamentals Course is a partnership between Piedroba and The Corps’s Chief of Navigation & Operations Jeffrey McKee, and Corps Safety Manager Thomas Verna. During the week long class, the team will teach fundamental dredging theory and practice through lectures, field trips, group discussions, and examinations. The first class, to be held from February 2-6 in Savannah GA, will be entirely geared towards the Savannah Harbor Expansion Program (SHEP). With the Project Parntership Agreement (PPA) signed in October between the Corps and the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), and the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA), SHEP is currently underway. The estimated $706 million project includes dredging and environmental mitigation costs, and the competitive bidding process for the early actions to deepen the harbor has started.Dr. Prieto-Portar is looking forward to returning to Savannah for another class: “Two years ago we had the pleasure of teaching a first SHEP related Dredging Fundamentals Course in Savannah. We left being thoroughly impressed with the Savannah District’s leadership, and their proactive efforts to prepare their staff for SHEP. We are excited to return and working diligently to contribute to building and maintaining America’s infrastructure while maintaining environmental sustainability.”About Piedroba Consulting Group:Piedroba Consulting Group (PCG) is a Miami based marine infrastructure consultancy firm with an emphasis on dredging. Its efforts are mainly geared towards representing project stakeholders, usually the contract owner, on capital dredging work. PCG’s job is to ensure the timely completion of dredge work within budget, while mitigating any unnecessary risk factors or project liabilities. A total of $3 billion in total dredging projects and programs has been overseen by PCG. The firm specializes in comprehensive risk assessment, risk mitigation, and insightful problem solving. ​